Bridge



u n w n, w.. ym w m 0 N a Mw, m y n .w n y@ M n o o E m o. ,n ,o\ g 7, y0 mi o 9. Ew .l N 1 awww 0 F m .m

.m M m (No Model.)

W/TNESSES UNrrnD STATES ATENT rricn.

MARGARET S'IONEBRIDGE, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

coRsE'T.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.4614,631, dated November22, 1898.

Application filed May 7, 1897. Serial No. 635,535. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MARGARET STONE- BRIDGE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Corset, of which the following is aclear and full description of the same.

My invention relates to corsets, and particularly to corset-waists. Itsobject is to construct a corset which shall possess the requisitestiffness and strength to properly support the body and which at thesame time shall be suiiiciently elastic and flexible to permit the freeand natural movement of the body of the wearer without discomfort andwithout danger to health.

I havefound that much personal discomfort will be avoided the wearer ofthe corset if in accommodating itself to the movements of the body thecorset material expands and contracts instead of simply bending, and Itherefore propose to make use of this principle in the construction ofmy corset.

, The invention will be more fully hereinafter described with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective viewof a corset embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a side View of one of thesections of the corset having the top cover removed, and Fig. 3 is adetail view of the stays employed by me.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, A represents a corset ofany suitable style or shape to which the invention is to be applied, andB one or more suitable verticallyextending casings adapted to receivethe vertical stays of the corset.

In order that the corset may contract and expand in a verticaldirection, I prefer to make the stays as shown in the drawings.

O represents a stay, of suitable steel or bone or othermaterial,comprising two overlappin g parts Dand D', each having anopening d, whereby the end of the part may be fixed to the upper orlower part of the corset, respectively. One of the parts being iiXed tothe upper partof the corset and the other part being fixed to the lowerpart of the corset and both parts being inclosed Vin a casing B, theparts being free to slide upon each other, when the corset is bent theparts of the 'stay will accommodate themselves to the movement and willcontract or expand according as may be necessary. Between the casings Oand in general line parallel therewith are vertically-extending rows ofpockets F, each row comprising a plurality of obliquely-inclinedparallel pockets adjacent to each other, whereby the complete row isformed. In the pockets F are suitable strips G, of steel, bone, or otherflexible material. In order to attain a more uniform strength, I preferto arrange the rows of pockets in opposite oblique directions to eachother, as illustrated in Fig. 2. In parts where it is desired toreinforce the corset-as, for instance, around the hipsa supplementarynumber of rows of oblique strips II II may be provided, the strips beingpreferably in opposite oblique directions to the iirst rows. Thesupplementary rows are illustrated in dotted lines in the drawings.

The relative arrangement of the parts above described is of courseimmaterial, as it will be advisable to alter these to suit the differentrequirements of various wearers.

In the operation of the device the corset will be found as exible, sofar as vertical- -comprising a pocket two overlapping parts therein oneof which is attached to the upper portion of the corset and the other ofwhich vis attached to the lower portion of the corset,

said parts being adapted to slide vertically upon each other in saidpocket, of one or more rows of pockets between said stays, said pocketshaving a plurality of obliquely-disposed strips therein, substantiallyas described.

2. In a corset, the combination of a plu= rality of substantiallyvertical stays, each comprising a pocket, two overlapping parts therein,one of which is attached to the upper portion of the corset and theother of which is attached to the lower portion of the corset, saidparts being adapted to slide vertically upon each other in said pocket,one or more rows of pockets between said stays, each of said last-namedrows comprising a plurality of parallel pockets arranged obliquely tosaid vertical stays, and a strip of flexible material in each of saidlast-named pockets, substantially as described.

In a corset, the combination of a plurality of substantially Verticalstays, each comprising a pocket, two overlapping parts therein,.one ofwhich is attached to the upper portion of the corset and the other ofwhich is attached to the lower portion of the corset, said parts beingadapted to slide vertically upon each other in said pocket, one or more

